If you need some inspiration for what to buy a child this Christmas, we've rounded up a selection of great tech gadgets for kids, from action cams to coding robots - there's something for everyone

2018 has been a great year for kids' gifts and gadgets, with robots, coding games and other high-tech toys topping Christmas gift lists from a huge variety of retailers. All are exciting and there are plenty of different options for every price range.

Here, we've picked out the best we've seen, to help you find the perfect gift for the children you need to buy for this year.

Anki Cozmo

This is one of the smartest robots we've met. It's tiny, but offers an impressive number of intelligent features including the ability to recognise faces, play games and learn. Cozmo comes with three LED cubes that he can interact with as you play, too.

The most endearing thing about Cozmo is that it really feels like he has a personality. Kids are going to love him - or his new older brother, Vector, which comes packed with extra smart features, like a cuter version of Siri or Alexa.

Amazon Fire tablet

Most cheap tablets – those under around £60/$60 – aren’t worth buying. But Amazon’s £49/$49 Fire is different. It has a good-quality screen and although storage is limited, you can add extra via the microSD card slot. The cameras aren’t great, but there are lots of free apps available and a great kids mode.

There is a kids version available, but it's essentially the same tablet at double the price. You do get a kid-proof case and a two year guarantee, though, and that guarantee means Amazon will replace the tablet for free with no questions asked should your kid break it.

Griffin KaZoo MyPhones

Griffin's KaZoo headphones for kids are both fun and safe to use. There are several animal designs to choose from including a penguin, monkey or frog, and they're designed specifically to keep sound pressure levels down to levels recommended as safe for young ears.

Digital Microscope

Great for inquisitive minds, a digital microscope will show detail the naked eye simply can’t see. The VMS-004 has magnification from 20-400x and LEDs to light up the subject. It works with PC and Mac and connects via USB.

Anki Overdrive

Anki Overdrive is the 21st Century's answer to Scalextric: robotic cars that can follow a track, are controlled by your phone, and can drive themselves so you can race against the AI.

You can set up the course in just about any layout you want, and the cars will drive themselves round to map it out. From there you control your car using your smartphone, tilting to shift lanes. There's even an optional game mode with virtual weaponry - à la Mario Kart - to add an extra wrinkle to the racing.

The base kit comes with two cars and enough track pieces to set up some varied configurations, but you can also buy more cars and track pieces. Even better, there's an official Fast & Furious edition that includes two cars from the film series and characters and audio clips from the films included in the app.